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Alexandria Archaeology Museum

Visit the Alexandria Archaeology Museum to learn how the City’s archaeologists, volunteers and students work with residents and developers to study and manage archaeological resources important to the community's past.

The main exhibit, Archaeologists at Work: The Lee Street Site, highlights one city block to provide a fascinating glimpse of Alexandria’s history and the way in which archaeologists study the past. Small “table top” exhibitsfeature other Alexandria sites and finds. Hands-on activities engage visitors of all ages.
Learn more about exhibits.

Upcoming Events

Coming to the Museum

​Twenty Five Years and Counting: The Alexandria Archaeological Protection Code

In 2014 the City of Alexandria celebrated the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Archaeological Protection Code, which has served as a preservation model for local jurisdictions across the nation. Learn more about the impact of this important legislation.

Staying Informed

Sign up for eNews: Select alerts from Alexandria Archaeology to receive occasional emails about events, news of our work and archaeology in the
region, and the quarterly Newsletter, Alexandria Archaeology Volunteer
News. At the same time, you can sign up for Historic Alexandria alerts
to receive This Week in Historic Alexandria and Press Releases from the
Historic Alexandria Museums.

Current News and Information

Opportunities to Participate

Summer Camp 2015 will take place from July 20 - 24, 2015. This popular program provides an opportunity for 12-15 year olds to work on a real archaeological dig. Read our 2013
Summer Camp Blog, see
Camp photos on the Alexandria Archaeology Museum's Facebook page, and think about applying for this year's camp!

Family Dig Days: The 2015 Dig Day schedule will be posted in the early spring. Help City archaeologists screen excavated soil during a real dig on the grounds of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial! Space is limited and reservations are required. This popular program fills early!

Volunteer: Check out volunteer opportunities to see how you can help Alexandria Archaeology.

Current Projects

Diaries of Julia Wilbur, March 1860 to July 1866. Transcribed by Alexandria Archaeology, 2013-2014, from the originals in the Quaker Collection, Haverford College, PA. Julia Wilbur, a relief worker from Rochester, NY, came to Alexandria during the Civil War. She kept a detailed diary from the 1840s through her death in 1895. Alexandria Archaeology's transcriptions focus on the period right before, during, and after the War.

Shuters Hill was once again the site of archaeological research and excavations in 2014. This ongoing excavation near the Masonic Memorial is exploring the Mills/Lee/Dulaney plantation, built in 1782. The mansion house burned in 1842, and was replaced by a larger brick house that was used by Union troops during the Civil War.

Shields's Folly: A Bathhouse in Old Town. A deep feature discovered in a Royal Street basement in 2014 may be from an aborted effort to dig a well for Thomas Shields's bathhouse 200 years earlier. Read more about this new discovery.

Fort Ward Park History and Archaeology. Excavations in 2013 focused on the 20th century African American community known as The Fort. This community is the focus of an effort by the Office of Historic Alexandria to study and preserve the post-Civil War historic resources of Fort Ward Park. Archaeological excavations in the park, historical research, and oral histories highlight our growing knowledge of this community. Learn about the
Stakeholder Advisory Group, and about
archaeological and historical research, including reports on excavations, transcriptions of oral history interviews with former residents. Visit Fort Ward Park to see new historic signage highlighting The Fort community. A copy ofThe Fort Heritage Trail Brochureis available online.

Potomac Yard History and Archaeology: Preview the seven historical signs placed at Potomac Yard in 2012 (or visit the site to see the signs in person). Throughout ongoing development of Potomac Yard, the Office of Historic Alexandria has been committed to preserving its history. Learn more about the
Potomac Yard planning and development process, and read a
history of the site by City Archaeologist Francine Bromberg.

Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery Memorial

The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial was officially opened on September 6, 2014. Learn about the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial history and archaeology of the site, view the extensive news coverage of the commemoration ceremonies, and watch short videos about the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial on Comcast Newsmakers, of interviews with Char McCargo Bah, Audrey Davis and Francine Bromberg.

Archaeology at Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery: Learn about the archaeological studies conducted between 1996 and 2007 that provided tangible evidence of the cemetery's survival after more than 125 years of neglect and destruction. Of the approximately 1,800 graves once located in the cemetery, more than 500 were identified through archaeological investigations. The goals of the archaeological investigations focused on the identification of burial locations to ensure protection during development, future maintenance of the site, and the recovery of information about the cemetery for use in the memorial design process.

Civil War Sesquicentennial Events and Information

At the Museum:Civil War Sundays. Explore the Civil War in Alexandria with Civil War Sundays, a showcase of an original May 26, 1861, edition New-York Tribune detailing Colonel Elmer Ellsworth’s death in Alexandria, a
Peeps Diorama illustrating Ellsworth’s death, a TimeTravelers Passport exhibit featuring the Civil War drummer boy, diorama of a
heating system constructed in Alexandria to warm Civil War hospital tents during the winter of 1861, a cocked and loaded
Wickham musket discarded in a privy during the 1860s, and an exhibit on the
Lee Street Site during the Civil War. Free! Weekly, 1-5 p.m.

Bike Trail:Alexandria Civil War Defenses of Washington Bike Trail. To mark the Civil War Sesquicentennial, Alexandria, surrounding jurisdictions and the National Park Service created the the Civil War Defenses of Washington Bike Trail. A map, cue sheet and information on Civil War sites are provided for self-guided bike rides.

The Current Dig:Shuter’s Hill. Alexandria Archaeology has completed its sixteenth season of excavation at the site of the Mills/Lee/Dulaney plantation on Shuter’s Hill, on the grounds of the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Visitors to the Museum may see artifacts from this site being washed and cataloged. Shuter’s Hill is an 18th century plantation and later estate that was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. Shuter’s Hill became the site of two Union forts in the Defenses of Washington during the Civil War.

History Through Public Archaeology: Municipal Archaeology Programs and the Creation of Community Amenities. Article by Douglas R. Appler exploring how municipal archaeology programs found in Alexandria, Virginia; St. Augustine, Florida; and Phoenix, Arizona have played a prominent role in developing unique, place-based amenities that integrate local history with other community needs.